In wake of Gaza conflict, anti-Israel activity on campus is rising, ADL says

(JTA) — More than 100 anti-Israel demonstrations have been held in the United States in the wake of Israel’s Gaza military operation, with more than one-third on college campuses, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

The campus demonstrations have included extreme rhetoric, including messages supporting “resistance,” comparisons of Israelis to Nazis and accusations that the Jewish state is trying to perpetrate “another Holocaust” in Gaza, the ADL said in a statement.

During the campus demonstrations and on social media, some students and professors openly expressed support for the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, which controls Gaza, and for terrorism targeting Israeli civilians, according to the ADL.

In addition to the demonstrations, anti-Israel student groups are renewing calls for divestment from Israel in light of Israel’s operation in Gaza.

Many of the protests were organized by Students for Justice in Palestine.

“Anti-Israel student groups will likely seek to capitalize on the momentum surrounding the Gaza conflict by pushing with renewed intensity their anti-Israel tactics and campaigns,” ADL National Director Abraham Foxman said.